ALBERTA
RESTORATIVE
JUSTICE
ASSOCIATION
ARJA 2025 CONFERENCE
WORKSHOPS
& PRESENTERS
Engage in interactive and thought-provoking workshops designed to deepen your understanding of restorative justice. Led by skilled facilitators and community leaders, these sessions explore real-world applications, emerging practices, and meaningful strategies to support your work.
Whether you're new to the field or an experienced practitioner, there’s something for everyone.
RJ in cases of sexualized violence:
A survivor and a facilitator share their experiences
Over the last 30 years, very few survivors of sexualized violence in Canada have managed to have their cases addressed through restorative justice. Their experiences – of the harm itself, interactions with police and courts, and participation in RJ – have much to teach us about how RJ can support healing and how practices can be adapted to better serve participants.
Stella Braun is one of those survivors. After being sexually assaulted, she advocated for her case to referred to her local RJ program. Following months of preparation she met face-to-face with the man who assaulted her.
Stella will be joined in this interactive workshop by longtime RJ facilitator and trainer Alan Edwards, who has over 20 years of experience facilitating cases involving sexualized violence.
Together, Stella and Alan will share their experiences and insights. Bring your questions and ideas!
Among the topics to be covered:
• What specific RJ principles and values hold the most significant benefit to participants in sexualized violence cases?
• What are some of the practice models currently being used in this work?
• Is there such a thing as “best practice” in this area? If so, what directions might it point to?
• How can facilitators support the development of accountability in those responsible for harm?
• What facilitator qualities are especially helpful to survivors?
Stella Braun
Alan Edwards
Stella Braun is passionate about early childhood education, specifically outdoor education. She is the co-chair of a non-profit nature playgroup, combining her own passion for the outdoors with her commitment to shaping young children’s futures in a positive way. In her free time, Stella enjoys reading, hiking, and camping, and works as a full-time nanny.
Stella is committed to dismantling rape culture and teaching children the importance of consent from a young age. She has spoken at multiple conferences, studies, and to a class regarding her experience as a participant in a restorative justice process. Stella is very grateful for the opportunity to be a panelist at the ARJA Annual Restorative Justice Conference.
Alan Edwards has been working in the field of restorative justice for over 25 years, and is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Since 2004, he has worked exclusively on cases of serious and violent crime, in the Restorative Opportunities Program of Correctional Service Canada. Alan has assisted many, many people harmed by serious, violent crime to have helpful, productive and valuable communication with those federally incarcerated persons who have harmed them.
In recent years, Alan has developed a focus on the complex practice issues associated with working restoratively in cases of gender-based violence. For example, in 2017-18, he was a member of the University of Alberta’s Working Group on Restorative Initiatives for Sexual Violence. In 2019-20, he was one of two RJ specialists tasked with developing and delivering training for the Department of National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces’ Restorative Engagement Program, which is an RJ response to sexualized violence in the military.
Alan has co-authored five papers on restorative justice and violence, co-authored the resource guide “Serving Crime Victims Through Restorative Justice” and continues to deliver advanced RJ training throughout Canada.
Alan is the recipient of the 2016 National Ron Wiebe Restorative Justice Award, recognizing his contribution to the field of restorative justice.
Alberta Indigenous Restorative Justice in Action (AIRJA)
This session is provided by the True Dialogue Restorative Justice Centre, TDRJC LINK, which is
dedicated to offering restorative justice facilitation services in Alberta. One of our primary focus
areas is honouring Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Calls to Action in the justice sector.
The Centre hosts the Alberta Indigenous Restorative Justice in Action (AIRJA) initiative. AIRJA
aims to build connections among Indigenous and allied Restorative Justice practitioners to
develop sustainable, culturally relevant restorative justice services in support of Alberta
Justice’s comprehensive RJ engagement strategy.
Session Description
Whether you're new to restorative justice or a seasoned veteran, you'll gain valuable insights
into the power of Indigenous-led collaboration, emphasizing healing, reconciliation,
accountability, and cultural integrity.
This session is ideal for practitioners, community leaders, policymakers, and anyone interested
in making meaningful change to address the over-representation of Indigenous people in the
social justice system. Join us for an engaging session to learn about the AIRJA project, meet the
Advisory Committee, and discover how to get involved or stay informed about its
developments.
